CHAPTER XV
CAUGHT
Ned, Bob and Jerry were each good swimmers, and instinctively they heldtheir breath as they fell into the water and struck out--but for wherethey knew not, for all about them was still as black as night, and eventhe phosphorous glow had vanished.
“Cæsar’s aunt!” spluttered Bob, when he could get his head above water.“What happened?”
“It’s part of the initiation,” said Jerry.
“Say, but this water’s cold!” came from Ned shiveringly.
“Silence!” was shouted, and with the word the lights flashed up andthe boys found themselves in a tank, from which the water was rapidlyrunning, as they could see by the lowering level. They looked aboutthem. Standing up on the edge of the tank stood a figure in pure white,with head and body covered with a long cloak.
“Come up from the tank and put on these,” the figure said, indicatingsome dry underwear, towels and other robes on chairs at the edge ofthe tank.
The lights went out for an instant, and when they went up again therewas no one in the room but the three chums, and the tank was almostempty. They were standing on the bottom of it. They saw some stepswhich led up out of the tank, and going up these they changed to drygarments.
Once more the lights went out, and when they glowed again there stood afigure in red.
“Ye are to be blindfolded, candidates,” came in deep tones, “and nowfor the test by blood. Ye have well withstood the test by water. Thatby fire is yet to come.”
Ned, Bob and Jerry allowed themselves to be blindfolded and were oncemore led forward. They could tell that lights were glowing in the roomnow, for faint gleams came under the blinding cloths. And there weresubdued whisperings, denoting that there were many in the apartment.
“Hold out your right arms,” came the command. The boys obeyed. Theycould feel their sleeves being pulled up, and a moment later there wasa sharp pain. They could feel that their skin had been pricked, thoughonly enough to permit a drop of blood to flow.
“Ouch!” cried Bob involuntarily.
“Silence!” came the command. “And for that _you_ must be puncturedagain.”
This time Bob grimly tightened his lips and said nothing.
The initiates suddenly felt a sensation as though a sharp knife hadbeen drawn across their arms, and a voice said:
“Hold a basin. They are flowing well.”
The three chums might have imagined that they really had been cut, butthey knew something of initiations, and they realized that a piece ofice drawn over the skin may feel like a knife, while water drippinginto a basin has the same sound as blood. So they were not at allalarmed.
“They are standing the blood-test well,” said a solemn voice. “And nowfor the test by fire.”
“That may not be so nice,” mused Jerry. “I hope they don’t scorch ustoo much.”
Blindfolded they were led onward. They could feel an increase oftemperature, and they heard the roaring of flames.
“Are the irons hot, Keeper of the Sacred Fire?” a voice asked.
“They are, Most Noble President.”
“’Tis well. Seal the candidates that we may always know them!”
For an instant Bob, Ned and Jerry shrank back as they felt hot ironsbrought near their faces. There was a tingling sensation, and then aburning and itching. Jerry knew what had happened.
A warm iron had been brought near them that they might feel the heat.Then they were touched with a piece of ice, and some cow-itch rubbed onthem. Cow-itch is a powder which stings like nettles, and is painfulwhile it lasts. The more one rubs it the worse it burns.
“Keep your hands away from it,” advised Jerry in a low voice to hischums.
“Silence!” came the command.
There was a pause, and then a voice went on:
“They have been tested by fire, by water and by blood. So far all iswell. Now for the merriment!”
Before the three candidates could move they were seized and their handsbound behind them.
“Run the course!” came the command, and they were pushed forward. Thechums started off.
“Faster! Faster! Run, don’t crawl!” was shouted at them, and run theydid.
All sorts of things happened to them. They fell down, and got up. Theystumbled and were buffeted on all sides. Nor were the blows gentle,some in fact being staggering ones.
That the buffetings were too rough was evidenced when one of the unseeninitiators called out sharply:
“Here, cut some of that out! We don’t want to lame ’em.”
“I’ll do as I please!” was the retort, and Jerry was sure the lastspeaker was Frank Watson.
“He’s taking advantage of us now and making his blows as hard aspossible,” thought Jerry, “but we won’t squeal.”
Nor did he, while Bob and Ned also bore it all bravely.
The initiation, while rough, was not unduly so for a secret society,and the three chums had been through worse experiences.
Finally, after they had rolled down some sort of inclined wayplentifully sprinkled with bumps, and had been tossed up in a blanket,they were led together to some spot, and a voice said:
“’Tis well! Are ye now ready to subscribe to the sacred rolls, andswear forever to hold inviolate the secret of our noble order ofBang-Ups? Answer!”
“We are!” chorused Ned, Bob and Jerry.
“’Tis well. Loose their bonds and let them sign the sacred scrolls intheir own blood.”
The bonds were loosed, the cloths taken from their eyes, and the threecandidates found themselves in a big, brilliantly lighted room, whileabout them stood their laughing fellow students.
That is, all were smiling save Frank Watson, Bart Haley and BillHamilton, and they looked sneeringly at our heroes.
“Take the oath and sign in blood,” went on Harry French, a senior, whowas the president of the society.
A drastic oath was administered, and then pens were handed the threechums, first having been dipped in some red fluid, whether blood or notwas not certain. Probably it was not.
“Well, how did you like it?” asked George Fitch, grinning as he came upto shake hands with the initiates.
“Oh, it might have been worse,” said Jerry, philosophically.
“That ducking surprised me,” admitted Bob.
“It generally does,” chuckled the president. “But get on your clothes,and we’ll have a little feed.”
A jolly time followed; jolly to Jerry and his chums from the fact thatFrank and his two particular cronies went away. Afterward our heroeslearned that the initiation had been made unusually severe, especiallythe pummeling to which they were subjected by Frank, Bart and Bill.
“Oh, well, we stood it, so what’s the use of kicking?” remarked Jerryresignedly.
Now full-fledged members of the Bang-Ups, a name which was well inkeeping with the initiatory process, Bob and his companions found thatthey had many more friends, and they began to enjoy life more fully atBoxwood Hall.
The football season was now in full swing, and several games hadbeen played. Our friends attended, and “rooted” to the best of theirability.
On many occasions they invited their new friends to go out in theirautomobile or in the motor boat, occasionally taking ProfessorSnodgrass, who still kept up a search for bugs, though butterflies hadvanished until the spring.
“Do you know what I think we ought to do?” said Bob one day, as hestretched out on a couch in Jerry’s room.
“I can pretty near guess,” ventured Ned, who was helping Jerry hangup a set of boxing gloves in artistic fashion, over a pair of crossedfoils. “Hasn’t it something to do with eats, Bob?”
“Yes, but not for me alone, so don’t get fresh. But lots of the otherfellows have feeds in their rooms, even if it is against the rules, soI don’t see why we can’t.”
“There’s no good reason,” admitted Jerry. “What are rules against eatsfor if not to be broken? I’m in with you, Bob.”
“
So am I,” agreed Ned. “We could have a swell feed here, as we can usethe three rooms as one.”
“Then let’s do it,” Jerry said. “We’ll leave it to Bob to buy the grub,and we’ll all chip in. Go as far as you like, Chunky.”
“And we’ll ask some of the crowd in,” added Ned.
“Sure,” assented Jerry.
Now midnight lunches, or any other sort, in the students’ rooms werestrictly prohibited at Boxwood Hall, which made it all the more joyfulto elude “Thorny,” the proctor, and the other college officials, andhave them. Bob smuggled in the eatables, and the invitations weregiven, and one evening several forms might have been observed quietlymaking their way to Borton, and up to the rooms of Bob, Ned and Jerry.
There is no need to describe what took place. If a boy has never takenpart in one he has imagined them. There were sandwiches galore, pies,cake, bottles of olives and various tinned dainties.
“Say, this is all to the mustard!” exclaimed Ted Newton, who hadaccepted an invitation, in spite of his football training.
The feasting began. Keyholes had been stuffed with paper, the windowshad been darkened and every precaution taken. Nevertheless, just as thefeast was about over, there came a knock on the door.
Ned stood up to switch off the lights. But it was too late. A keygrated in the lock, the door was suddenly thrown open, and there stoodProctor Thornton, a grim smile on his face.
“Well, young gentlemen, you seem to be having a good time,” he said.“You will kindly give me your names and go to your own rooms. Hopkins,Baker, Slade--report to me to-morrow morning, and we will visit Dr.Cole together!”